Instructional Design Strategies

Overview

Grade Level: 2nd
Subject Area: All
Number of Students (average): doubleClickHereAndType
Years of Teaching: 2 years

Description

Answer the following questions as if you were giving advice to a student teacher.

How would I introduce a discussion of my approach to instructional design?			Our school district has curriculum maps in place, with that in mind we need to remember that they need to be followed. I also have introduced ways that I approach things by showing other colleagues some of the activities I do or some of the "props" I use in my classroom.
What are my resources for designing units and lessons?			At our school district we don't neccesarily have units. However, when it comes to resources we have everything that is part of our reading program, Open Court. I also like to integrate things that I have discovered online or other resources that my team mates have available. Always remembering that we need to follow our curriculum map when designing lessons.
What do I generally do first?			At our school district we have a curriculum map that needs to be followed. Since that is available to us, the first step is always to look at our map to make sure we are following the objectives for the week.
How do I interact with the standards?			Our district already has a curriculum map in place that includes kid-friendly standards which is what we go by when it comes to lesson planning for the week.
What are my constraints and how do I respond to them?			Time is sometimes a big constraint. This is why you need to make sure that you try to add meaning to your lessons so that students can attach a memory to something new they have learned.
How do I approach student assessment?			I approach student assessment by really looking at the standards I have been teaching and try to assess on a bi-weekly basis for those.
How do I approach post-assessment?			We use to same pre and pos-assessment for our students so that we are able to really understand their prior knowledge and the new knowledge they have learned.
How do I approach self-assessment?			About every two weeks, I try to reflect back upon what strategies worked and which ones didn't. This helps me in knowing what works best with each class. Every year you get a new class and what worked last year doesn't mean it will work this year.
What are areas I would like to learn more about and/or become better at?			Technology and integrating that with my second graders is definitely an area of interest to me. This is why I applied to become part of the technology committee at my school and why I applied to the Teacher Alliance. I want to learn as much as possible to be able to pass this on to my students and for them to have that experience at a young age.
What final advice would I give about my approach to instructional design?			To really look at the big picture as to what it is you want to accomplish in the year but also remembering to make things simple and remembering your grade level and age group when thinking about designing specific lessons.